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macOS Catalina

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macOS Catalina Release Date

macOS Catalina was released on October 7th, 2019 via a free over-the-air update.

macOS Catalina Features

macOS 10.15 is known as macOS Catalina. The new software brings with it standalone apps for Music, TV, and Podcasts as Apple retires iTunes.

As we expected, Apple unveiled a feature called Sidecar that allows an iPad to be used as a second Mac display in a few different ways. “Find My” is a revamped app that combines Find My Phone and Find My Friends and will now be available on the Mac.

A new Accessibility focused feature called Voice Control brings an even more powerful experience with rich navigation to users with verbal controls via on-device processing.

Screen Time is also making its way from iOS to macOS to help users be more aware of the time they spend on their notebook or desktop. Meanwhile, Apple’s UIKit framework is coming to the Mac now officially named Project Catalyst, formerly called Marzipan. This lets developers seamlessly port iPad apps to macOS.

Supported Devices

The following Macs are able to update and install the macOS 10.15:

  • 12-inch MacBook
  • MacBook Air, 2012 and later
  • MacBook Pro, 2012 and later
  • Mac mini, 2012 and later
  • iMac, 2012 and later
  • iMac Pro
  • Mac Pro, 2013 and later

Top Stories

Our recent stories can be read below:

Video shows what it would be like to run macOS on an iPad through a virtual Hackintosh

iPad running macOS virtual Hackintosh video

Hackintoshes – PCs tweaked to run macOS with workarounds have been around for a while. But as Apple only wants its software to run on its own devices, it’s become more difficult over time to actually use them as functional machines. Now a new type of Hackintosh appears to be gaining some traction that may be useful for research and educational purposes, virtual Hackintoshes. Interestingly, a video of an iPad running macOS has just surfaced as the latest virtual Hackintosh.

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Here are the latest details on Apple outages affecting Mac apps, Big Sur updates, iMessage, and more

macOS Big Sur update slow

Apple just released its major macOS update with Big Sur. While downloads are often slow with the large file and many users trying to get the software at the same time, it looks like download times are particularly slow this year and are failing in many cases. Meanwhile, it seems that Apple’s Developer website is down as is iMessage and we’re even seeing macOS Catalina performance impacted.

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Apple releases macOS Catalina 10.15.7 with bug fixes for WiFi and iMac GPU performance, more

Apple has released several updates for Mac today including macOS 10.15.7 and new versions of Final Cut Pro X and iMovie that squash a number of bugs and improve stability. macOS 10.15.7 includes fixes for a WiFi issue and an iMac graphics card issue. The FCP X update solves problems with brightness levels, keyframes, exporting, and more.

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New bug found in macOS can quickly fill up storage when importing photos with Image Capture

The Image Capture app comes pre-installed with every Mac, allowing users to easily import photos and videos from other devices. In a recent blog post, developers of NeoFinder shared a new bug they’ve found in macOS Catalina that can quickly fill up the Mac storage when importing photos with the Image Capture app.


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Comment: My essential Mac apps for 2020 include Fantastical, AirBuddy, and more

16-inch MacBook Pro 2019

2020 is the tenth anniversary of the iPad, so there has been a lot of discussion around the best app along with ways to get the most out of the platform and be more productive. However, the Mac is still a great place to work, play, and learn. If you are picking up your first Mac, upgrading from an old one, or just looking to become more efficient, I want to run through some of my essential Mac apps that I am using this year.


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macOS Catalina: How to use the new Find My app for locating devices and friends

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac X. Find hidden junk, large old folders, unused apps, and heavy memory consumers. You can also use CleanMyMac X to remove malware, unwanted pop-ups, and virus extensions.

macOS Catalina introduces a brand new app from Apple called Find My. The app is the Mac version of two apps that started on the iPhone and iPad: Find My iPhone and Find My Friends.

Starting with iOS 13 and macOS Catalina, Apple merged the two location sharing apps into Find My. The new Find My app works on macOS Catalina for location sharing and device tracking without iCloud.com.


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macOS Catalina: How to backup photos and videos with iCloud Photos

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac X. Find hidden junk, large old folders, unused apps, and heavy memory consumers. You can also use CleanMyMac X to remove malware, unwanted pop-ups, and virus extensions.

Photos and videos are some of our most precious digital data that we never want to lose. That’s why macOS Catalina includes the Photos app with a built-in service for backing up your photo library. iCloud Photos is the easiest way to manage your personal photo library.


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macOS Catalina: How to master Dark Mode for Mac

macOS Dark Mode on MacBook Pro

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac X. Find hidden junk, large old folders, unused apps, and heavy memory consumers. You can also use CleanMyMac X to remove malware, unwanted pop-ups, and virus extensions.

Dark Mode for Mac premiered in macOS Mojave as a simple way to toggle the system appearance from the default bright theme. The new macOS Catalina release is a software update that improves how Dark Mode works with new features.

The new OS version lets you schedule when Dark Mode is activated. This is based on sunset and sunrise by default. There are also ways to quickly toggle between light or dark themes and set specific apps to their own theme. Read on to master Dark Mode for Mac.


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macOS Catalina: How to turn your iPad into a second display with Sidecar

macOS Catalina Sidecar

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac X. Find hidden junk, large old folders, unused apps, and heavy memory consumers. You can also use CleanMyMac X to remove malware, unwanted pop-ups, and virus extensions.

Sometimes the best way to get your work done is by expanding your canvas with a second display. It’s screen real estate that defines how many apps we can work with without changing windows. Working with two different input methods, however, like touch versus mouse and track can introduce friction.

That’s why Apple built its new Sidecar feature in macOS Catalina. Feeling cramped on your Mac screen? Sidecar lets you instantly turn your iPad into a second display — no additional hardware required.


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macOS Catalina: Use Apple Watch to replace your password without Touch ID

macOS Catalina watch password

9to5Mac is brought to you by CleanMyMac X. Find hidden junk, large old folders, unused apps, and heavy memory consumers. You can also use CleanMyMac X to remove malware, unwanted pop-ups, and virus extensions.

Touch ID fingerprint recognition is replacing passwords on new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, but what if your Mac doesn’t have a fingerprint reader? The good news is that you don’t need to spend a thousand dollars on a new computer. You can replace your password on macOS Catalina without Touch ID if you wear an Apple Watch.


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